Power
by YFWE
Summary: Power, when vested in the care of maniacs, can be deadly.


**Random one-shot that takes place during the first movie, in between when Simba leaves and when Simba returns to Pride Rock. Hope you'll enjoy! I haven't really written like this in a while, so it at least felt good to get some kinks worked out.**

Power

YFWE

The lioness ran swiftly, her paws light against the dusty ground as she moved. The night had a chill to it, and the moon was partially hidden behind a slew of clouds. Thus the ground was ill-lit, darkened, grim. The Pride Lands were the type of place that one could traverse at night quite easily, if the lighting was right. Especially if one wanted to avoid detection.

And that was just what the lioness wanted to do.

Her name was Kayra. She was an adult; had been for five seasons. Unmated. Hunting party. Mother dead seasons before. Part of the kingdom of Scar.

Kayra was a bit of a nuisance, one might say. She questioned things. Held grudges. Liked to have a bit of fun here and there. But above all, Kayra was a dreamer.

She dreamed of a better place. A place she could vaguely recall from the days before Scar's reign. The other lionesses only spoke of such a place in hushed tones, but Kayra could tell that these were times quite longed for. Mufasa, the king before Scar, had been a right and just king, and his son Simba had been in position to follow in his wake.

Alas, the game had changed. Both were dead and Scar was king. Kayra had disliked Scar even when he was just another lion in the pride – found him odd and unsettling – but her hatred had increased tenfold since he had taken power in the Pride Lands.

Scar had been brutal. Ruthless. Unwavering in his vehement control of the lands. Possibly even homicidal, though nothing had been proven. Kayra was tired of being treated in such a manner, and she knew she was not alone. In fact, she had the hunting party's full support.

And so a plan began to form. A plan that, while simple in its intentions, would be difficult to execute at first.

The plan? A mission to find help.

The lionesses knew that Scar would be heavily protected. He had his loyal subjects, after all, and even if they broke those defenses, the hyenas would be on them immediately. Hundreds of hyenas, there were. Ready to pounce for a scrap of meat at Scar's command.

And so, suggested Kayra one evening in as muted a voice as possible to one of her most trusted friends, Sarabi, they would search for help. And given that the sleek, golden brown lioness happened to be one of the youngest and most agile, Kayra would be the one to make the journey – slightly winning out over Sarafina's daughter Nala, who had become a formidable young lioness in her own right.

She had waited until the dead of night, when she had been certain Scar was asleep. Hyena patrols were present but scarce. This was it. Her moment.

She would travel north, traversing the rough terrain to find a far-off pride that allegedly existed there. A lioness of the hunting party, Zira, had recommended this, claiming she had heard of such a pride in stories throughout the seasons of her life. If Kayra could locate the pride, perhaps they could help the Pride Lands. For the lands were in a drought and famine, and without regular sustenance soon, they would surely perish. One by one.

Kayra loped quickly, trusting that the darkened grounds benefitted by the lack of moonlight would take her beyond the Pride Lands and to the place of which she dreamed. Once she was outside her homeland's boundaries, surely neither hyena nor lion would follow. She would instead become a rogue, at the mercy of nature.

The lioness stared down at the quickly-moving ground below her. According to her memory of the terrain, the land's boundary was approaching. She was nearly free.

She reached the ravine, through which water had not flowed in at least a season. It was desolate and barren, a far cry from the majestic waters that had once coursed through.

"Beyond here," said Kayra aloud, her normally-strong voice quivering due to both nerves and fatigue, "is freedom." She was nearly there.

But in her admiration of her goal nearly being reached, Kayra had lost track of her other surroundings. Thus she completely missed the trio of hyenas, one of which – the first to attack from her left – immediately dug into Kayra's hindleg with her razor-sharp jaws.

Kayra howled in pain, her legs buckling underneath her. She skidded to a halt against the dirty ground, mere paces from the edge of the ravine. A look of confusion and horror spread across her muzzle and she began to panic, her gaze darting from left to right to find her attackers.

"Don't be tryin' to get up an' go anywhere, hon!" called a female hyena Kayra knew as Shenzi. The hyena glanced beyond the hurt lioness to find her most formidable accomplice, Banzai, sprinting toward Kayra, a small branch of a long-dead tree clenched in his gritted fangs. "We'd loooove for you to _stick _around…"

At these words, the branch Banzai carried within his jaws smacked into the side of Kayra's head. The lioness was rendered unconscious and immobile almost immediately, her body a heap on the ground still near the ravine's edge.

Banzai dropped the stick from his mouth. "Blegh!" he growled, spitting out a few woodchips. "That was the best line you could come up with?"

"I'd like to see you come up with something better! Besides… Ed loved it! Didn't ya… Ed?"

Ed, the third hyena, grinned toothily, his maniacal laugh echoing through the night.

"You know Ed'll laugh at anything, Shenzi. But whatever," said Banzai. "When's 'Oh-Fearless-Leader' going to get here? He _is _coming, right?"

"Of _course _he'll be coming, Banzai. What, do you think he'll miss out on a chance to set one of his lionesses straight?"

"Oooooh, I hope she resists," chuckled Banzai, his teeth bared as he looked down at Kayra hungrily. "And he decides to… well, you know…"

"Kill her?"

King Scar's voice had been expected by the band of hyenas, and yet it was startling in its deep tone, a menacing growl that pierced the night silence. The hyenas jumped, Shenzi being the first to turn to face her king and offer her sincerest apologies.

"Oh, no, your highness, I'm sure that's not what he meant! You have so much more class than that, how could we—"

"Silence!" boomed Scar before Shenzi could get in another slew of words. The hyenas whimpered before him, looking into the solemn eyes of their leader with the utmost fear.

"I shall do with our traitor what I see fit," Scar said calmly. "In the meantime… I suppose a showing of gratitude is in order for the three of you… for being able to actually take down a lioness this time. You should be thankful. I would not have tolerated failure this time."

"Y-y-yes, Scar, whatever you s-say…" stammered Banzai. Ed was inching away, attempting to remove himself from the king's sight.

"Now, someone wake her up."

Shenzi and Banzai looked at each other and, both wincing, padded over to Kayra.

"…c'mon, wake up," Banzai muttered, prodding the lioness's side with a paw.

"He said… WAKE UP." Shenzi, claws extended, tore into Kayra's stomach, dark red blood immediately forming around the wound.

Kayra gasped, her consciousness reacquired but her pain worsened. Her head was pounding, and the gash on her stomach left moments prior, though not too deep, still stung and bled quite noticeably. She was seeing double from the pain; concentrating, she finally willed off some of her discomfort, enough to look into the eyes of her aggressors – and growled.

"Evening… your _majesty_," said Kayra, putting an almost sarcastic emphasis on the final word, nodding only slightly in recognition. She noticed briefly that Scar had not come alone, either – seemingly the entire hyena population of the Pride Lands had come to back up the king. A few lions seemed to be present as well, though Kayra could not make out their identities in the dark.

"Get up," commanded Scar. Grudgingly, yet obediently, Kayra rose.

Scar aimed a paw against the side of the lioness's head, another blow that rattled Kayra's mind. She was able to retain consciousness that time around, but the blast jarred her nonetheless, forcing her to the ground. Kayra wheezed, catching her breath but retaining an intense look upon her countenance. She was not going to let Scar intimidate her.

The old king bent low to the lioness, circling her, the sound of his paws against the earth the only sound around. "My, my, Kayra," murmured Scar. "Quite the troublemaker, aren't we? Certainly not the way your parents raised you, is it?"

"My… my mother taught me to stand up for what I believe in… Scar," shot back Kayra. "And I believe that you, like most authority, need to be put in your place."

"Kayra! No!"

The lioness lifted her head from the ground, and Scar swiveled his. The hyenas had opened a path between them, and through walked the rest of the lioness clan of the pride, Sarabi at its forefront. She had a truly worried expression across her muzzle.

"So nice of you to join us, Sarabi," said Scar formally. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Cut the pleasantries, Scar," Sarabi announced. "Leave her be. She's young. She knows not what she does."

"Is that so?" Scar laughed quietly, turning his attention completely from Kayra and to the other lionesses. Shenzi, Banzai and Ed immediately swooped in to guard the young lioness.

"Is that so, Sarabi?" Scar repeated, meandering toward the elderly lioness. "Why, I believe I have heard quite differently."

"What you have heard is a lie, then," said Sarabi shortly.

"You're calling _me _a liar, Sarabi?" It was the lioness Zira, stepping from behind a group of hyenas. Her teeth were bared, muzzle twisted into a hard grimace.

"Z-Zira?" Sarabi's expression was one of utter disbelief. "It was… you?"

Zira nodded, laughing. "Ah, yes. But since I was a part of your little hunting party, you didn't think that telling me about Kayra's little plan would bring you to this. Am I right?"

"We've trusted you…"

"Falsely." Zira bared her teeth even more, her grin becoming almost maniacal. "I am but a humble and loyal servant of our great king Scar…" she glanced over to the king, in her eyes a look of desperate longing. Then her gaze returned to Sarabi. "I knew what had to be done."

"You…" growled Kayra. Zira merely laughed.

"Ah, how unfortunate it is when old friends quarrel…" Scar said almost apathetically, his gaze shifting from Sarabi to Zira and back again. "But you have done well, Zira. And for that I am… most grateful."

Zira bowed low to the ground. "All the power in the world be to you, Scar. I am… in your debt… always… forever…"

If Scar possessed the slightest amount of interest in Zira's obvious advances, he ignored them completely, returning instead to Kayra. "So," he started again in a low growl, "I hear you were planning to find help. Is this correct?"

"Correct," replied Kayra, her words staccato, her gaze finding the ground before the king.

Scar had returned to pacing about the young, slightly-injured lioness. "And what, pray tell, was the reason for searching for this help? Hmm? What kind of help did you need?"

"You should know full well."

"Oh, yes, I'm quite aware. But tell me anyway. I want to hear your intentions. I want _everyone _to hear your intentions."

Kayra growled. "I planned to find help to usurp your throne."

"Louder."

"I wanted to find help to get this sadistic old king killed!" shouted Kayra. She stood again, her voice climbing to reach all within shouting distance. "Because this lion we call our king, Scar, has brought nothing but hardships and troubled times for our pride!"

Scar listened, his facial features unmoving.

"Hyena and lion alike, I ask you," Kayra continued, "think back to the times before Scar. When his brother, _Mufasa_, ruled the lands." 

"DO NOT SPEAK THAT NAME."

This time, Scar left a sizable gash just under Kayra's left ear, which trailed all the way down to the edge of her face. The lioness grimaced, in obvious pain. Still she knew she was alone in this. Though she had told the other lionesses about her plan, they had agreed that they could not all go to war together against Scar and his hyenas, just in case they were all wiped out and there was no one left to oppose Scar. It was fighting smart, and this was their first failure in that field – though who could have known that Zira would turn against them?

Scar almost seemed to be in a trance at that point, his countenance twisted into a snarl, a low growl emitting from his throat whenever he was not speaking. "Hyenas," he roared. "What say you? What shall we do with this traitor?"

A sea of voices responded; a chorus of "Kill her!" seemed most prevalent. Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, all three still nearby should Kayra react unfavorably, were quite vocal in their support of this option.

"I wonder, though," mused Scar once the din had died down, circling Kayra. "What if a compromise can be reached? What say you to that, Kayra?"

"What are you saying?" asked the lioness quietly.

"I'm saying…" the old king's eyes perused the young lioness's sleek, slender frame, his tongue licking his lips, his teeth bared, "that perhaps a few… _favors_… could be arranged." Nearby, Zira began to growl, her claws kneading the dirt before her as she stared daggers at Kayra.

"You want me to become your mate, don't you?" Kayra growled.

"Oh, not _exactly_, my dear," Scar said. "You would be merely… alongside others of your type… in a similar situation. Obeying my every request when I so demand it."

"Forget it."

Scar paused, his gaze studying the young lioness. "I offer you a way out, Kayra. I don't think it's too much to ask… a little 'private time' here and there with your king… you should feel honored."

"I would never submit to you. Ever," said Kayra venomously. Then, grinning slyly, "But I'm sure plenty of the hyenas would be thrilled…"

"Y-you…" Scar was taken aback. "You LITTLE…"

In a sudden move quite agile for a lion of his age, Scar leaped forward, his head lowered. He rammed into Kayra, who had been simply no match for a much-larger lion. The distance that had separated Kayra from the edge of the ravine was not nearly enough, and the lioness toppled over the side.

Sarabi and many of the other lionesses cried out in protest, but by then it was already too late. And when they heard the loud thump from down in the ravine pierce the night sky, they knew it was over.

Scar stood at the edge, breathing heavily. In between breaths he began to cackle, first only a bit, before he soon broke out into a maniacal fit of laughter.

He turned to the other lionesses, an imposing gleam in his eye. "You see, Sarabi," there was a hint of in his broken voice, "it is I who hold the power. The absolute power. Me! ME! Haha!"

The king paused for a moment before continuing, gulping loudly. "Lion and hyena! You see now what power I have. The power to torment. The power to maim. The power to _kill_." He stepped from the edge of the ravine. "Let us go back to building this great and glorious future I have set into motion! And use this sick, troubled lioness…" he turned his head back to the ravine briefly, "as an example! For I can be your greatest ally… or your worst enemy!" he roared.

A din of hyena-led agreement sounded through the night. Slowly, the creatures began to move back toward Pride Rock, where it would be life as usual for most, save for the small lioness band that had lost one of their own.

"She was strong to the end," Sarafina whispered, her head hung low as with the other lionesses as they began their trek toward their home.

"Agreed, 'Fina," replied Sarabi, the sadness in her voice evident. "Somehow I… had a feeling it would come to this. Especially with Kayra. She was always so… headstrong."

She glanced to her left, where Zira had taken up a spot beside Scar, though not before turning around and leering at the lioness group one last time. Sarabi sighed. "I should have known it… Zira always seemed far too defensive of Scar…"

The others murmured in agreement as they walked, working to keep their voices low as a few hyenas trailed them, making sure none of them decided to make a move toward the boundaries of the Pride Lands. "Border patrol's probably going to be stepped up," muttered a lioness next to Sarabi. "There's no way we'll have any chance of getting one of our own to escape, right, Sarabi?"

Sarabi said nothing at this, which surprised the lionesses. But briefly, before anyone could press the question once more, Sarafina spoke up again. 

"Nala," she said simply. "Where's Nala? Why isn't she here?"

The lionesses spoke of this with great interest, turning finally to Sarabi, who had still said not a word.

To their surprise, a smirk had found its way etched upon Sarabi's face.

"Sarabi…" Sarafina pressed once more. "Where's my daughter?"

Sarabi nuzzled her reassuringly. "Nala will be fine."

"What do you—"

"If there's anything I've learned over the years, it's to have a good backup plan."

**END**

**And, of course, I think we all know what happens next.**

**Thank you for reading!**


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